Inside San-Cha Tea Boutique

Situation 1: I am Alice. I am enjoying the Madhatter’s tea party where I can taste from over 75 flavours. (I bet the real Alice had to make do with just one. Hah!)

Situation 2: It has dawned on me that I was born British in another life and right here, in this quaint little English tea room, is where I belong.

I could easily come up with more because very rarely do you come across places like newly-opened San-Cha Tea Boutique, a one-stop destination for tea lovers, in Kalaghoda, Mumbai. My eyes veer towards the tiny black balconies, perched atop the tea-boutique’s white façade. I instantly start feeling Shakespearean.

Enter the place and you’d be surprised to find how many innovative ways a teapot can be used—chandeliers, lamps, showpieces et al. San-Cha isn’t a variation of the adjoining Kalaghoda café or a regular coffee shop. Here is a place that allows you to use the words ‘tea’ and ‘gourmet’ in the same sentence! Here’s a roundup of what we loved, what we tried and what you should do once you find yourself ambling along the narrow Kalaghoda lanes.

The concept: San-Cha is owned by Delhi-based brand Aap Ki Pasand, conceived by tea taster and expert Sanjay Kapur, that opened the first gourmet tea boutique in India in 1981. San-Cha’s teas have been a part of gifts to international dignitaries by the current and ex-Prime Ministers. Like Delhi, even the Mumbai boutique works on the same principle: come, enjoy free tea-tastings and purchase what you like (there is nothing that you won’t, we can assure you).

The variety: Think of any blend and you will find it here, the lovely packaging is an added bonus. Think green tea and they will take it a notch above by offering you wild rose green tea (a sweet floral note interspersed with fresh green notes) or yoga green tea that is one of their bestsellers and contains the antioxidant rich holy basil. Different kinds of white teas from Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri are their most-selling blends. These come in wild rose, lemon grass, mint and other flavours. For the lovers of cutting chai in Mumbai, they have meticulously put together masala chai, maharani chai and even vanilla blends. Price Points: Tea-tasting is free of cost. The lowest priced would be the regular green tea (Rs 150 for 100g) and the most expensive blends (different varieties of black tea) would go up to Rs 1600 and above.

What we loved:-- They have a cute little teacup-shaped wall-clock.-- The chamomile tea, this was the last one that we tried and we would have surely regretted had we skipped it. -- The Kashmiri papier-mâché boxes used as gifting boxes for tea. -- The chandelier made of teacups. (Sigh!)-- 'Love Pekko', the black tea with a whiff of natural rose. Don’t skip it!-- Cutting chai cups that have been painted using acrylic colours. You will find a nimboo-mirchi painting on these cups too. -- The Japanese tea pot made of cast iron. The floral English tea cozy sets are lovely. Psst...these were imported from London but you can find their variants online too. -- A coffee-table book dedicated to “Chai”.-- The gracious and very-well informed staff. You almost get a crash course on different blends. For instance, did you know that Assam tea is stronger, Darjaleeng tea is relatively floral, Nilgiri is fruity and Kangra tea is earthy. -- The relaxing Chinese tea served in miniature cups enveloped us with a sense of well-being like we had never felt before.